Today I have a very valid excuse for not finishing a book and doing a review. I have spent a good few hours today building my wonderful, brand-spanking, 5 shelved, dirt cheap new bookshelves. It took a bit of doing and my hip muscles are paying for it now but... it looks absolutely fabulous. the original smaller bookshelves are now in the spare room with some of my read books on there. I still have about 5 boxes of books to house but I have only so much room in this place. I would love to have an entire wall of bookshelves but I think the sofa might stage a silent protest if I decide to do that and I need to keep that sofa on side for now.
I must say that I find it both comforting and ever so slightly daunting to have all my books to be read out in the open and no longer hidden behind one another or stacked two high on top of one another. I now have one complete shelf dedicated to Ghost Stories/Legend/Myths and the rest is mixed up on the various shelves. I thought briefly about alphabetising or categorising the books in some way or other but I figured that in the grand scheme of things it was really not that important how they were ordered and I did have better things to do. Although I did put a few of the Stephen King ones together... and cluster some of the Dean Koontz ones... but apart from that...all random!
Two new arrivals to report this week so the total is now up to 101 to be read. I am still awaiting the arrival of another one. Also my previous book donor at work said he might have another clear out so I might be getting some more strays to house.
I am off to get on with my book, have another coffee and rest my weary limbs.
Off to the gym tomorrow to see what exercise I can/should do... change in life routine approaching!
Sunday 25 November 2012
Tuesday 20 November 2012
Reviews mania over
Another day brings me to the final book to review.
After this, it is back to the reading for me.... thank heavens for that.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Small Hand - Susan Hill
This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
It is a ghost story by a modern writer so as love them that got me interested in this one. It was a really quick read as it only took me about a day to read it. The disappointment for me is that it is only 204 pages and it actually could have done with a good culling of about one hundred of them. The underlying story is good but it is let down by all the excess padding in the story.
If the story had just focused on the story of Adam Snow and his strange encounter at the deserted house then we would have been okay. Unfortunately Adam has to go book hunting for his clients and go off to a monastery, visit his brother.. oh no wait.. his brother actually tie into the story so we can leave those bits in. That should be about 3 pages saved. Adam comes across the house whilst he is driving around finding his way home form visiting one of his wealthy clients. The only reason the client is in there is to be a vehicle to get Adam in the area and then later on the client's wife takes an interest in what happened to Adam and finds out its and pieces about the history of the house for Adam. Guess he was too busy dealing books to do that himself? The only reason Adam goes off to the convent is to show us that the thing is haunting him not the location of the house... and this is important why? the whole thing about Adam buying the Shakespeare folio serves no purpose to me at all. So the thing haunts him away from the house so he finds that he is not safe from it anywhere, so he is more scared... okay there are other ways to get to that point that do not required introducing a whole new aspect to the story line. If you are a good writer you should be able to find a way to get your point across without doing this. It just feels that a lot of the action in the story line is unnecessary and that takes away from the punch of the story.... and that is a shame as the premise is good.
The ending is good and the way it ties in with Adam's brother has been nicely done but apart from that a it of a let down.
I have ordered another one by Susan Hill so it will be interesting to see what that is like.
Title: The Small Hand
Author: Susan Hill
204 pages
Profile Books
ISBN nr 978-1-84668-240-7
An official recount has been carried out on the books status and I can confirm that I now have 99 books still waiting to be read... hurrah I was right at the last count.
After this, it is back to the reading for me.... thank heavens for that.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Small Hand - Susan Hill
This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
It is a ghost story by a modern writer so as love them that got me interested in this one. It was a really quick read as it only took me about a day to read it. The disappointment for me is that it is only 204 pages and it actually could have done with a good culling of about one hundred of them. The underlying story is good but it is let down by all the excess padding in the story.
If the story had just focused on the story of Adam Snow and his strange encounter at the deserted house then we would have been okay. Unfortunately Adam has to go book hunting for his clients and go off to a monastery, visit his brother.. oh no wait.. his brother actually tie into the story so we can leave those bits in. That should be about 3 pages saved. Adam comes across the house whilst he is driving around finding his way home form visiting one of his wealthy clients. The only reason the client is in there is to be a vehicle to get Adam in the area and then later on the client's wife takes an interest in what happened to Adam and finds out its and pieces about the history of the house for Adam. Guess he was too busy dealing books to do that himself? The only reason Adam goes off to the convent is to show us that the thing is haunting him not the location of the house... and this is important why? the whole thing about Adam buying the Shakespeare folio serves no purpose to me at all. So the thing haunts him away from the house so he finds that he is not safe from it anywhere, so he is more scared... okay there are other ways to get to that point that do not required introducing a whole new aspect to the story line. If you are a good writer you should be able to find a way to get your point across without doing this. It just feels that a lot of the action in the story line is unnecessary and that takes away from the punch of the story.... and that is a shame as the premise is good.
The ending is good and the way it ties in with Adam's brother has been nicely done but apart from that a it of a let down.
I have ordered another one by Susan Hill so it will be interesting to see what that is like.
Title: The Small Hand
Author: Susan Hill
204 pages
Profile Books
ISBN nr 978-1-84668-240-7
An official recount has been carried out on the books status and I can confirm that I now have 99 books still waiting to be read... hurrah I was right at the last count.
Monday 19 November 2012
The Final Furlong - part 2
As I am on a roll and The Dark Charisma of Hitler on BBC2 can be followed very well by just listening to the commentary, here goes another one.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Captain Scott's Last Expedition - Robert Falcon Scott
As I typed the above spoiler alert I kind of thought that perhaps I do not really need one for this book. I think most people will know how this one ended. This is the strange thing as you start to read it. You read about all the preparations and then the trip to the pole and you know that some of them never made it back.
It is one of the most impressive books I have ever read. It is moving, dramatic, beautiful, emotional and funny. In Scott's writing you get the enthusiasm at the start and the despair at the end. It is heartbreaking to read the final few days of his journal. How they had to cope and at one point knew that there was no way out for them. They knew they were about to die and that there was no escape. At one point they thought that perhaps they would take an overdose to end it sooner rather than later but true to their powerful characters they decided to face their end as they had live their lives... openly, head on and as true British Gentleman.
I do not really know how to review this journal. There is so much in it that is awe inspiring and inspirational. As you read it you feel that you are travelling with Scott, you see it all through his eyes and it becomes personal and very close to you. It is really an epic story of how man struggles to survive in the most trying of circumstances. the fact that in this case some men have failed is not a defeat but still a triumph.
It was very interesting to read the part at the start of the journals that tells you all about how the ship was prepared and what they did to get the huts and depots up and running. All this gives you an idea of how meticulous Scott and his team were. They had planned this thing in detail. They had done the maths on the food and all the supplies required per stage of the trip. I do not think there was one thing that Scott did not worry about himself. It is great to read about how life in the camp takes shape and how they set up their routine. The detail that goes into getting their accommodation up and running is amazing. Then there is the epic effort of the depot laying. So much was riding on this and Scott needed to get it right not just for himself but also for the others that went part of the way to the Pole.
Some of the most fun stuff is to do with the animals they take on the trip. There are ponies and dogs and each have their own purpose to serve. The ponies seemed and odd choice to me but in the end you learn that they are not only valuable for transporting supplies but end up being additional rations as well. But they would need to last and that was by no means an easy feat! The dogs seem a wild bunch of animals but they help the expedition carry supplies to and from their huts and depots.
In the end it is also a tragic story. Scott, Bowers Wilson, Evans and Oates all reach the pole only to find that Amundsen has beaten them to it. They must have been crushed by that although Scott seems to be putting up a good front in this diary pages. Then they face the trek back. As they make their way back they are all falling apart. They are being battered by the weather, lack of food and fuel and fatigue. The final three members of the South Pole party, Scott, Wilson and Bowers die only about 13 miles from the depot. They run out of fuel and food and all of them have an injury of some kind or another. They cold go no further and faced death in the direst of circumstances. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to watch others around you die knowing that you were possibly going to be next.
.
There is no getting away for the discussion that some of the diary entries have been cleaned up and edited in earlier versions of the journal. In the newer versions of the diary some entries have shown Scott as being a bit petty about some team members performances and their abilities. He is quite critical of some of the expedition members as he feels they lack the character to go on this expedition. Well.... the way I see it is that if you were putting together team to go to the extremes of where mankind can possibly hope to survive, where the difference between life and death is balanced on a a knife edge then perhaps you have the right to be picky? I also think that you could live with the odd critical remark about a team member or a slight or two about a colleagues abilities. He was not going on a teddy bear picnic he was going to the South Pole!
All I can really say is READ IT!!!It is epic and beautiful and emotional... prepare to shed a few tears when it comes to Oates and the last few days of the final 3.
Title: Journals - Captain Scott's Last Expedition
Author: RF Scott
515 pages
Oxford World's Classics
ISBN nr 978-0-19-953680
Only one more review to go but is is time for bed now. Tomorrow's will be short and sweet I promise.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Captain Scott's Last Expedition - Robert Falcon Scott
As I typed the above spoiler alert I kind of thought that perhaps I do not really need one for this book. I think most people will know how this one ended. This is the strange thing as you start to read it. You read about all the preparations and then the trip to the pole and you know that some of them never made it back.
It is one of the most impressive books I have ever read. It is moving, dramatic, beautiful, emotional and funny. In Scott's writing you get the enthusiasm at the start and the despair at the end. It is heartbreaking to read the final few days of his journal. How they had to cope and at one point knew that there was no way out for them. They knew they were about to die and that there was no escape. At one point they thought that perhaps they would take an overdose to end it sooner rather than later but true to their powerful characters they decided to face their end as they had live their lives... openly, head on and as true British Gentleman.
I do not really know how to review this journal. There is so much in it that is awe inspiring and inspirational. As you read it you feel that you are travelling with Scott, you see it all through his eyes and it becomes personal and very close to you. It is really an epic story of how man struggles to survive in the most trying of circumstances. the fact that in this case some men have failed is not a defeat but still a triumph.
It was very interesting to read the part at the start of the journals that tells you all about how the ship was prepared and what they did to get the huts and depots up and running. All this gives you an idea of how meticulous Scott and his team were. They had planned this thing in detail. They had done the maths on the food and all the supplies required per stage of the trip. I do not think there was one thing that Scott did not worry about himself. It is great to read about how life in the camp takes shape and how they set up their routine. The detail that goes into getting their accommodation up and running is amazing. Then there is the epic effort of the depot laying. So much was riding on this and Scott needed to get it right not just for himself but also for the others that went part of the way to the Pole.
Some of the most fun stuff is to do with the animals they take on the trip. There are ponies and dogs and each have their own purpose to serve. The ponies seemed and odd choice to me but in the end you learn that they are not only valuable for transporting supplies but end up being additional rations as well. But they would need to last and that was by no means an easy feat! The dogs seem a wild bunch of animals but they help the expedition carry supplies to and from their huts and depots.
In the end it is also a tragic story. Scott, Bowers Wilson, Evans and Oates all reach the pole only to find that Amundsen has beaten them to it. They must have been crushed by that although Scott seems to be putting up a good front in this diary pages. Then they face the trek back. As they make their way back they are all falling apart. They are being battered by the weather, lack of food and fuel and fatigue. The final three members of the South Pole party, Scott, Wilson and Bowers die only about 13 miles from the depot. They run out of fuel and food and all of them have an injury of some kind or another. They cold go no further and faced death in the direst of circumstances. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like to watch others around you die knowing that you were possibly going to be next.
.
There is no getting away for the discussion that some of the diary entries have been cleaned up and edited in earlier versions of the journal. In the newer versions of the diary some entries have shown Scott as being a bit petty about some team members performances and their abilities. He is quite critical of some of the expedition members as he feels they lack the character to go on this expedition. Well.... the way I see it is that if you were putting together team to go to the extremes of where mankind can possibly hope to survive, where the difference between life and death is balanced on a a knife edge then perhaps you have the right to be picky? I also think that you could live with the odd critical remark about a team member or a slight or two about a colleagues abilities. He was not going on a teddy bear picnic he was going to the South Pole!
All I can really say is READ IT!!!It is epic and beautiful and emotional... prepare to shed a few tears when it comes to Oates and the last few days of the final 3.
Title: Journals - Captain Scott's Last Expedition
Author: RF Scott
515 pages
Oxford World's Classics
ISBN nr 978-0-19-953680
Only one more review to go but is is time for bed now. Tomorrow's will be short and sweet I promise.
The final furlong
After having done a marathon session yesterday I have now been relegated to sitting with my legs stretched out on the sofa instead of in the normal seating position. reason being that my RH gluteus maximus is absolutely killing me when sitting on a regular chair, walking and reaching up. the way I am sitting/lounging now seems to be the only seating position that does not make me flinch every 2 seconds. I will have to get up a few times whilst writing this review as the muscle seems to get tense and achy. I think I may have to take up a subscription to Square One as I seem to be heading there on a regular basis lately. At least my fingers are still functioning well...
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Firestarter - Stephen King
I was aware of a movie made from this novel back in the day but I never sat down and watched it. I did remember the title so when I came across it a few months ago I decided to pick it up to see what it was like.
Well... it is a cracking read.
As I by now have come to expect of King it kicks into action from the start and it does not really let up until the last page and even then it leaves you wanting more. The story starts with a father (Andy) and daughter (Charlie) on the run from some shady guys in New York. You are not surw why but you feel sympathy for them from the start. You learn quite quickly that Andy has got some special abilities and you automatically think they must be after him. But... turns out they are actually after Charlie and what she can do. In the first half of the book you find out bit by bit how Andy got his power, how he met Charlie's mum and how they ended up on the run. It is safe to say that Charlie's powers are far more destructive than her dad's. They also take less out of her. Andy seems to be at the end of his powers whereas Charlie is still coming into her own.
The whole book is a tale of two people on the run from a shady government organisation. They go on the run, they almost get found, they get found, they manage to escape they find a safe haven, they get re-captured, they live in captivity, they escape. Sounds kind of repetitive but with all the characters you meet it is a great ride to be on with Andy and Charlie.
Andy used to be a suburbia kind of guy. He had the wife, the kid, the job and the house with a mortgage. Because of some misunderstanding from some trigger happy government employee his life is turned upside down and he is now forced to live from hand to mouth and drift from one job into another. He is still trying to help people where he can but there is not a lot of stability he can give Charlie.
Charlie is a lovely, innocent little girl who knows she is special and does not really want to use her powers but has to at times. The great thing about her is to see her struggle about using her power. At one point she never wants to use them again but she is placed into a situation where she has to. It both scares her to feel it's power and part of her actually likes the havoc she can wreak. Charlie is a lovely character and deserves to be the focus of the story. She is only a little girl trying to make sense of what she feels and can do. She is the innocent child that deserves protection but is only seen by some as a tool to use. She is well written and you see her grow up a little in the book and I think she will grow up to be a fine young woman.
As far as learning curves go Andy finds out that just as you thought that you might as well give up a little solitary contemplation in the dark goes a long way. Charlie finds out the hard way not to trust the first kind soul that she meets. Sometimes when it looks evil it is actually evil.
Some of the things in the book are the standard good versus evil stuff. Andy and Charlie are good, kind, upstanding people. They tend to meet good upstanding people who help them on their travels.They just want to be left alone to get on with their lives.
They are pursued by the bad guys who belong to a shady organisation called The Shop. They seem to have more eyes and ears across the USA than the CIA or FBI combined. They are always watching and relentless in their pursuit of Andy and Charlie. They have the obligatory clever leader (elderly, shrewd, looks like a kind grandad) and they employ the obligatory strong and mysterious bad guy (madman native American with a wish to see death in people's eyes). Fortunately, for once it ends bad for all the bad guys. Their headquarters is blown to bits and their organisation is exposed with all it's faults.... although they are not completely obliterated. It does not end well for Andy but you kind of expected that. And as for Charlie... well... I think she will do just fine.
As I said earlier, it is a great read it has a great pace and the story and it's characters are engaging and likable. Even the bad ass bad guy has some redeeming features in him. The ending gave me a real chuckle and I will not spoil it for you but if you ever need to know where to go with a big news story check page 509!
Title: Firestarter
Author: Stephen King
510 pages
Futura
ISBN nr 0-7088-2101-4
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Firestarter - Stephen King
I was aware of a movie made from this novel back in the day but I never sat down and watched it. I did remember the title so when I came across it a few months ago I decided to pick it up to see what it was like.
Well... it is a cracking read.
As I by now have come to expect of King it kicks into action from the start and it does not really let up until the last page and even then it leaves you wanting more. The story starts with a father (Andy) and daughter (Charlie) on the run from some shady guys in New York. You are not surw why but you feel sympathy for them from the start. You learn quite quickly that Andy has got some special abilities and you automatically think they must be after him. But... turns out they are actually after Charlie and what she can do. In the first half of the book you find out bit by bit how Andy got his power, how he met Charlie's mum and how they ended up on the run. It is safe to say that Charlie's powers are far more destructive than her dad's. They also take less out of her. Andy seems to be at the end of his powers whereas Charlie is still coming into her own.
The whole book is a tale of two people on the run from a shady government organisation. They go on the run, they almost get found, they get found, they manage to escape they find a safe haven, they get re-captured, they live in captivity, they escape. Sounds kind of repetitive but with all the characters you meet it is a great ride to be on with Andy and Charlie.
Andy used to be a suburbia kind of guy. He had the wife, the kid, the job and the house with a mortgage. Because of some misunderstanding from some trigger happy government employee his life is turned upside down and he is now forced to live from hand to mouth and drift from one job into another. He is still trying to help people where he can but there is not a lot of stability he can give Charlie.
Charlie is a lovely, innocent little girl who knows she is special and does not really want to use her powers but has to at times. The great thing about her is to see her struggle about using her power. At one point she never wants to use them again but she is placed into a situation where she has to. It both scares her to feel it's power and part of her actually likes the havoc she can wreak. Charlie is a lovely character and deserves to be the focus of the story. She is only a little girl trying to make sense of what she feels and can do. She is the innocent child that deserves protection but is only seen by some as a tool to use. She is well written and you see her grow up a little in the book and I think she will grow up to be a fine young woman.
As far as learning curves go Andy finds out that just as you thought that you might as well give up a little solitary contemplation in the dark goes a long way. Charlie finds out the hard way not to trust the first kind soul that she meets. Sometimes when it looks evil it is actually evil.
Some of the things in the book are the standard good versus evil stuff. Andy and Charlie are good, kind, upstanding people. They tend to meet good upstanding people who help them on their travels.They just want to be left alone to get on with their lives.
They are pursued by the bad guys who belong to a shady organisation called The Shop. They seem to have more eyes and ears across the USA than the CIA or FBI combined. They are always watching and relentless in their pursuit of Andy and Charlie. They have the obligatory clever leader (elderly, shrewd, looks like a kind grandad) and they employ the obligatory strong and mysterious bad guy (madman native American with a wish to see death in people's eyes). Fortunately, for once it ends bad for all the bad guys. Their headquarters is blown to bits and their organisation is exposed with all it's faults.... although they are not completely obliterated. It does not end well for Andy but you kind of expected that. And as for Charlie... well... I think she will do just fine.
As I said earlier, it is a great read it has a great pace and the story and it's characters are engaging and likable. Even the bad ass bad guy has some redeeming features in him. The ending gave me a real chuckle and I will not spoil it for you but if you ever need to know where to go with a big news story check page 509!
Title: Firestarter
Author: Stephen King
510 pages
Futura
ISBN nr 0-7088-2101-4
Sunday 18 November 2012
Careful what you wish for...
Sometimes in reading you get a pleasant surprise when you least expect it, sometimes you get the opposite.
#### SPOILER ALERT ###
Three Gothic Novels - Edited by E.F. Bleiler
One of the reasons I bought this book was because it contained one I had heard of and had always wanted to read: The Castle of Otranto. The other two in it I had never heard of so I took a bit of a gamble buying it and reading it.
The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole
Maybe I was just too excited by the prospect, maybe I just did not get it but I was a bit confused and disappointed by it. What I got from it was this: we have Manfred the lord of Otranto, he has a castle and a wife, son and daughter. His son is due to be married but dies (killed by some huge, mysterious helmet?) and then Manfred figures why waste a perfectly good bride and decides to marry the girl himself. She, in true damsel style finds this idea appalling and decides to run off to the neighbouring monastery. She meets the mandatory handsome stranger and is rescued from the bad guys. Meanwhile, mum is having kittens about her son and her faith. The daughter is doing a bit of detective work and finds out most of what dad is planning and tries to prevent this as she does not want her mother to be hurt or disgraced. Meanwhile in the monastery things are not what they seems and once the head meets the mysterious handsome stranger it turns out he is his son and potentially the rightful heir to Otranto. Not only that but in the meantime a party of mysterious knights has arrived as well and one of them turns out to be bride to be's father who was missing in action... somewhere... In the end Manfred gives up his title and him and his wife enter the convent... oh and the daughter gets killed but the bride gets a happy ending with the mysterious handsome stranger.
Vathek - William Beckford
If the first one in the volume was not what I expected then this one was even more of the same.
I think this one is trying to say pride comes before a fall and that there are things that us humans should not try to understand and just leave to the gods. However, it might also be about making sure you wrap up warm when you travel, do not get on unsafe swings and that just because you think you are dead you may not be.... I am not sure yet?
Vathek is a caliph with an overbearing mum and a hunger for power and knowledge. He is also indulged a bit too much by aforementioned mum and seeks knowledge he is not ready to understand or comprehend.He is cruel to his subjects he is brutal and ruthless. He is tested by the gods and fails. His entire life and world are destroyed and he is left with nothing. He is cast in to what I think is Hell and they are welcome to him!
The Vampyre - John Polidori
This one was the pleasant surprise in the volume.
It is a little tale of a man who befriends someone who turns out to be his downfall.
It starts out okay. Our hero, Aubrey meets a man Lord Ruthven and decides to go travelling with him. this is despite his misgivings about the man - apparently he is distant and cold and nobody is sure of his character. But Aubrey takes a chance on him being a suitable travel companion but hey... sometimes you just have to right? Things come to a head when the lord takes an interest in a young lady. Our hero has heard in the meantime that there are all sorts of rumours about the Lord's character floating around.. none of it good. he decides to warn the lady involved and then breaks of his arrangements with Lord Ruthven. Aubrey then goes on to Greece and falls in love with a local Greek girl Ianthe. Interestingly there are tales told about a man, a living vampyre and he seems to have an uncanny resemblance to Lord Ruthven. However, Aubrey ignores this. Then Ianthe is killed and Aubrey breaks down. Enter Lord Ruthven who takes care of his former travel companion. The men kiss and make up and travel on together. Then Ruthven's luck seems to turn and he gets killed... only to turn up in England a long time later! Aubrey has by this time sussed it out but is bound by a promise to the Vampyre not to tell who he is. Like a gentleman he keeps his word but it costs him his sister's life.
I liked this one. it is a bit convoluted in places - the circumstances are made to fit the story in a bit of a clumsy and obvious way but it is a good little vampire tale.
Title: Three Gothic Novels
Authors: Various, edited by E.F. Bleiler
283 pages
Dover Publications Inc
No ISBN nr - published in 1966
#### SPOILER ALERT ###
Three Gothic Novels - Edited by E.F. Bleiler
One of the reasons I bought this book was because it contained one I had heard of and had always wanted to read: The Castle of Otranto. The other two in it I had never heard of so I took a bit of a gamble buying it and reading it.
The Castle of Otranto - Horace Walpole
Maybe I was just too excited by the prospect, maybe I just did not get it but I was a bit confused and disappointed by it. What I got from it was this: we have Manfred the lord of Otranto, he has a castle and a wife, son and daughter. His son is due to be married but dies (killed by some huge, mysterious helmet?) and then Manfred figures why waste a perfectly good bride and decides to marry the girl himself. She, in true damsel style finds this idea appalling and decides to run off to the neighbouring monastery. She meets the mandatory handsome stranger and is rescued from the bad guys. Meanwhile, mum is having kittens about her son and her faith. The daughter is doing a bit of detective work and finds out most of what dad is planning and tries to prevent this as she does not want her mother to be hurt or disgraced. Meanwhile in the monastery things are not what they seems and once the head meets the mysterious handsome stranger it turns out he is his son and potentially the rightful heir to Otranto. Not only that but in the meantime a party of mysterious knights has arrived as well and one of them turns out to be bride to be's father who was missing in action... somewhere... In the end Manfred gives up his title and him and his wife enter the convent... oh and the daughter gets killed but the bride gets a happy ending with the mysterious handsome stranger.
Vathek - William Beckford
If the first one in the volume was not what I expected then this one was even more of the same.
I think this one is trying to say pride comes before a fall and that there are things that us humans should not try to understand and just leave to the gods. However, it might also be about making sure you wrap up warm when you travel, do not get on unsafe swings and that just because you think you are dead you may not be.... I am not sure yet?
Vathek is a caliph with an overbearing mum and a hunger for power and knowledge. He is also indulged a bit too much by aforementioned mum and seeks knowledge he is not ready to understand or comprehend.He is cruel to his subjects he is brutal and ruthless. He is tested by the gods and fails. His entire life and world are destroyed and he is left with nothing. He is cast in to what I think is Hell and they are welcome to him!
The Vampyre - John Polidori
This one was the pleasant surprise in the volume.
It is a little tale of a man who befriends someone who turns out to be his downfall.
It starts out okay. Our hero, Aubrey meets a man Lord Ruthven and decides to go travelling with him. this is despite his misgivings about the man - apparently he is distant and cold and nobody is sure of his character. But Aubrey takes a chance on him being a suitable travel companion but hey... sometimes you just have to right? Things come to a head when the lord takes an interest in a young lady. Our hero has heard in the meantime that there are all sorts of rumours about the Lord's character floating around.. none of it good. he decides to warn the lady involved and then breaks of his arrangements with Lord Ruthven. Aubrey then goes on to Greece and falls in love with a local Greek girl Ianthe. Interestingly there are tales told about a man, a living vampyre and he seems to have an uncanny resemblance to Lord Ruthven. However, Aubrey ignores this. Then Ianthe is killed and Aubrey breaks down. Enter Lord Ruthven who takes care of his former travel companion. The men kiss and make up and travel on together. Then Ruthven's luck seems to turn and he gets killed... only to turn up in England a long time later! Aubrey has by this time sussed it out but is bound by a promise to the Vampyre not to tell who he is. Like a gentleman he keeps his word but it costs him his sister's life.
I liked this one. it is a bit convoluted in places - the circumstances are made to fit the story in a bit of a clumsy and obvious way but it is a good little vampire tale.
Title: Three Gothic Novels
Authors: Various, edited by E.F. Bleiler
283 pages
Dover Publications Inc
No ISBN nr - published in 1966
Who said literature is boring?
There is a slight unbalance in the Universe that has to be redressed.
I am now up to 5 books that I have read and not reviewed.. oh and I have to report 3 more that I ordered on-line. See... 5 read 3 new ones... no balance. My plan tonight is to go and redress this balance by having a major session of reviewing. I have just had my dinner, I have had a decaf coffee and Home Alone has just about finished so I am officially out of excuses not to go and do this. Then if only I can figure out how many books I have read my work for today will be complete.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
This one was a good read! It is kind of a book lovers book as it paints a world in which books are big business and there are literary detectives making sure that literature stays safe for the general public.
It is interesting because most of what you read about in the book seems absolutely normal. Yet, this world is not the same as ours and it offers possibilities that I personally cannot wait to see happen in ours. To be able to go into a book. Surely that beats space travel any day. Also, having a dodo for a pet. How cool is that!
This book is the first in a series and in it we are introduced to Literary Detective Thursday Next. She has a time travelling father (who travels through history staying one step ahead of the Chrono Guard), a dead brother and a man she would rather not be in love with but is. In this world we find Thursday in there is an organisation called the Special Operations Network who try to keep this world in order and also keep literature safe for the rest of us. In the SO it seems that the higher your grade the more obscure and dangerous your job gets.
It all starts of with someone stealing a manuscript.. not just any manuscript but Martin Chuzzlewit. The strange thing is that no-one seems to be able to figure out how the manuscript was stolen. Whoever did this seems to be able to go around unseen and wreak havoc on literature. There is a suspicion of who has done this vile act and Thursday is drawn into everything because she happens to know he suspect. This guy is no fluffy bunny criminal. He can apparently sense when his name is spoken dodge bullets, go around unseen and can make people do whatever he wants. He can bend their will to his purpose. He has a great name though: Hades. One of the other parties interested in the case is a shady company called Goliath. Fitting name for a mysterious organisation with a finger in many pies although we are not quite sure which finger is in which pie at any one time. They are represented by a fellow of the name of Jack Schitt (I am not kidding you, it made me chuckle). To cut a long story short... Thursday gets a temporary promotion and is asked to assist in finding the missing manuscript. the operation goes horribly wrong and everyone but Thursday ends up dead. In the middle of figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life Thursday gets some advice from a familiar face and decides that a job in Swindon is just what she needs. This is where we meet Thursday's mother, Aunt and uncle. He is a real gem and a really clever guy too. Mycroft has been a busy boy inventing all sorts of useful things. One of the things he has done is find a way into a book.
Then tragedy strikes again and another manuscript is taken. This time it is one closer to Thursday's heart... Jane Eyre. Thursday has been inside the book before when she was a little girl. Also Rochester has been out of it to see her so this make her interest in the taking of it personal. To prevent a further crime against literature taking place (and to save her uncle and aunt) Thursday has to find a way into the Republic of Deepest Darkest Wales. Naturally she succeeds and finds the manuscript. However, she then has to get inside it to get at Hades. Naturally she succeeds at this as well and all of Thornfield is mobilised to help keep Jane and the story safe. Naturally all is well that ends well and good triumphs over evil. Although Jane Eyre is never the same again.
The only little let down in the book is the back story of Thursday and Landen. It really does not need it. There is plenty going on without Thursday having some unresolved love affair going on. If it was meant to drag the whole issue of the Crimean War (yes it is still going on ) into the story then there was already her brother who died in it so we have the link to it right there. Thursday does not seem like the kind of girl who would sit in her parlour with a daisy going "he loves me, he loves me not" but apparently Fforde wants her to be a hopeless romantic.
What I liked about this book is that it created a world where books are important. For some lucky souls they are places that you can actually go and visit. The idea that you can change a story by going into the manuscript itself is genius. This whole world that Fforde has created is great and imaginative. Just think that you could turn up in Macbeth warn Duncan not to stay the night at Macbeth's. What if you could go and slap the annoying, sanctimonious Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice. Or if you could simply wander around in the heroic tales of the Greek Myths. How good would that be?!
I loved the fact that the original Jane Eyre in this book had a different ending and that Thursday being there changed it. I also loved the fact that there is a group of people who cared enough to stage a protest. Then there is the whole discussion in the book of who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays. Lots of possible authors are raised and it is a discussion that is going on in our world as well.
This book by far has the most fun character names I have ever encountered in any book. I mean, we have Thursday Next, Paige Turner, Boswell, Jack Schitt, Victor Analogy Acheron Hades.. and his brother Styx... you could not make this stuff up! This is part of the attraction of the book. If you have read a book or two or/and are interested in books there will be some character somewhere that you recognise. Linked to that one of the most annoying things about the books is that you constantly find yourself thinking "what am I missing". Whenever a new character is introduced you wonder if this is another literary figure or person that you should really know. I thought of google-ing all the characters but thought better of it in the end.
Apart from liking the way in which Fforde has designed his little book focussed world I also like his humour, his use of character names, his creativity in inventing machines that can aid his story and I kind of like Thursday. the book has a good pace and it reads really well. It makes you want to discover more about this world that is so similar to ours but not. This is only the first one in the series and once I get through a bit more of my own I might get my friend to lend me the next one in the series.
Title: The Eyre Affair
Author: Jasper Fforde
373 pages
Hodder
ISBN nr 0-340-73356-X
Books to be reviewed: 4
Books to be read: who knows, right, here we go again.. (why is this never easy)... at the last count I was down to 101 books to be read. This included the Stephen King one and my two bargains. Therefore... having finished another two in the meantime I am now on 99 again...this seems right... right???
Books bought (but not yet arrived in the house so not added to the total just yet - my blog my rules!!): 3
I am now up to 5 books that I have read and not reviewed.. oh and I have to report 3 more that I ordered on-line. See... 5 read 3 new ones... no balance. My plan tonight is to go and redress this balance by having a major session of reviewing. I have just had my dinner, I have had a decaf coffee and Home Alone has just about finished so I am officially out of excuses not to go and do this. Then if only I can figure out how many books I have read my work for today will be complete.
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
This one was a good read! It is kind of a book lovers book as it paints a world in which books are big business and there are literary detectives making sure that literature stays safe for the general public.
It is interesting because most of what you read about in the book seems absolutely normal. Yet, this world is not the same as ours and it offers possibilities that I personally cannot wait to see happen in ours. To be able to go into a book. Surely that beats space travel any day. Also, having a dodo for a pet. How cool is that!
This book is the first in a series and in it we are introduced to Literary Detective Thursday Next. She has a time travelling father (who travels through history staying one step ahead of the Chrono Guard), a dead brother and a man she would rather not be in love with but is. In this world we find Thursday in there is an organisation called the Special Operations Network who try to keep this world in order and also keep literature safe for the rest of us. In the SO it seems that the higher your grade the more obscure and dangerous your job gets.
It all starts of with someone stealing a manuscript.. not just any manuscript but Martin Chuzzlewit. The strange thing is that no-one seems to be able to figure out how the manuscript was stolen. Whoever did this seems to be able to go around unseen and wreak havoc on literature. There is a suspicion of who has done this vile act and Thursday is drawn into everything because she happens to know he suspect. This guy is no fluffy bunny criminal. He can apparently sense when his name is spoken dodge bullets, go around unseen and can make people do whatever he wants. He can bend their will to his purpose. He has a great name though: Hades. One of the other parties interested in the case is a shady company called Goliath. Fitting name for a mysterious organisation with a finger in many pies although we are not quite sure which finger is in which pie at any one time. They are represented by a fellow of the name of Jack Schitt (I am not kidding you, it made me chuckle). To cut a long story short... Thursday gets a temporary promotion and is asked to assist in finding the missing manuscript. the operation goes horribly wrong and everyone but Thursday ends up dead. In the middle of figuring out what she wants to do with the rest of her life Thursday gets some advice from a familiar face and decides that a job in Swindon is just what she needs. This is where we meet Thursday's mother, Aunt and uncle. He is a real gem and a really clever guy too. Mycroft has been a busy boy inventing all sorts of useful things. One of the things he has done is find a way into a book.
Then tragedy strikes again and another manuscript is taken. This time it is one closer to Thursday's heart... Jane Eyre. Thursday has been inside the book before when she was a little girl. Also Rochester has been out of it to see her so this make her interest in the taking of it personal. To prevent a further crime against literature taking place (and to save her uncle and aunt) Thursday has to find a way into the Republic of Deepest Darkest Wales. Naturally she succeeds and finds the manuscript. However, she then has to get inside it to get at Hades. Naturally she succeeds at this as well and all of Thornfield is mobilised to help keep Jane and the story safe. Naturally all is well that ends well and good triumphs over evil. Although Jane Eyre is never the same again.
The only little let down in the book is the back story of Thursday and Landen. It really does not need it. There is plenty going on without Thursday having some unresolved love affair going on. If it was meant to drag the whole issue of the Crimean War (yes it is still going on ) into the story then there was already her brother who died in it so we have the link to it right there. Thursday does not seem like the kind of girl who would sit in her parlour with a daisy going "he loves me, he loves me not" but apparently Fforde wants her to be a hopeless romantic.
What I liked about this book is that it created a world where books are important. For some lucky souls they are places that you can actually go and visit. The idea that you can change a story by going into the manuscript itself is genius. This whole world that Fforde has created is great and imaginative. Just think that you could turn up in Macbeth warn Duncan not to stay the night at Macbeth's. What if you could go and slap the annoying, sanctimonious Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice. Or if you could simply wander around in the heroic tales of the Greek Myths. How good would that be?!
I loved the fact that the original Jane Eyre in this book had a different ending and that Thursday being there changed it. I also loved the fact that there is a group of people who cared enough to stage a protest. Then there is the whole discussion in the book of who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays. Lots of possible authors are raised and it is a discussion that is going on in our world as well.
This book by far has the most fun character names I have ever encountered in any book. I mean, we have Thursday Next, Paige Turner, Boswell, Jack Schitt, Victor Analogy Acheron Hades.. and his brother Styx... you could not make this stuff up! This is part of the attraction of the book. If you have read a book or two or/and are interested in books there will be some character somewhere that you recognise. Linked to that one of the most annoying things about the books is that you constantly find yourself thinking "what am I missing". Whenever a new character is introduced you wonder if this is another literary figure or person that you should really know. I thought of google-ing all the characters but thought better of it in the end.
Apart from liking the way in which Fforde has designed his little book focussed world I also like his humour, his use of character names, his creativity in inventing machines that can aid his story and I kind of like Thursday. the book has a good pace and it reads really well. It makes you want to discover more about this world that is so similar to ours but not. This is only the first one in the series and once I get through a bit more of my own I might get my friend to lend me the next one in the series.
Title: The Eyre Affair
Author: Jasper Fforde
373 pages
Hodder
ISBN nr 0-340-73356-X
Books to be reviewed: 4
Books to be read: who knows, right, here we go again.. (why is this never easy)... at the last count I was down to 101 books to be read. This included the Stephen King one and my two bargains. Therefore... having finished another two in the meantime I am now on 99 again...this seems right... right???
Books bought (but not yet arrived in the house so not added to the total just yet - my blog my rules!!): 3
Sunday 4 November 2012
Bargainous
I got myself a real bargain this weekend. I managed to buy myself two books for £3.-.... amazing right!
And they were not even small paperback books oh no, these were the proper kind. Good old-fashioned hardbacks, published somewhere in the 1930's.
And we are not talking only 400 pages a piece either... no sir... just over 1000 in each one!!
I spotted them and thought that they would be at least £5 or £10 each... imagine my surprise when I spotted the little paper sign saying £1.50 each. I even asked the lady if they were both £1.50 because I could not believe my luck. Now they are home with me... for some reason I have not put my initials and the year in them.. seems kind of wrong to do that in these gorgeous specimens of bookdom.
One thing that did make me laugh is that when I posted a photo of them on twitter a company that deal in DIGITAL pdf files of classic books followed me. I am sorry to say people, whoever you are: you are wasting your time on following me!! As long as I can buy the real thing there is no way in hell I am getting a pdf version of any book, classic or otherwise!
I am aiming to be the last person in Britain to own a kindle and remain to be convinced of the joys of reading a digital book. I want and need the real thing!
Back still a bit fragile as I assumed that I could sit on the chairs of my dining room table for half an hour or so to google some hotels in Cambridge. Guess not eh.... seems there is one muscle that tenses up whenever I sit on that chair for more than 10 minutes. So I have now banished myself to the sofa again to type his. When will I learn?!
I have in the meantime finished a Stephen King one and started on RF Scott's Journals so progress of sorts has been made.
Book tally has me confused.... Let me see if I can un-confuse myself.
Previous total to be read: 101
So.. since then I read the Gothic Novels so that makes an even 100. Then I finished Stephen King one so that leaves 99... and then I went and messed it all up and bought 2 so I am back up to 101.
Still left to review: 3
And they were not even small paperback books oh no, these were the proper kind. Good old-fashioned hardbacks, published somewhere in the 1930's.
And we are not talking only 400 pages a piece either... no sir... just over 1000 in each one!!
I spotted them and thought that they would be at least £5 or £10 each... imagine my surprise when I spotted the little paper sign saying £1.50 each. I even asked the lady if they were both £1.50 because I could not believe my luck. Now they are home with me... for some reason I have not put my initials and the year in them.. seems kind of wrong to do that in these gorgeous specimens of bookdom.
One thing that did make me laugh is that when I posted a photo of them on twitter a company that deal in DIGITAL pdf files of classic books followed me. I am sorry to say people, whoever you are: you are wasting your time on following me!! As long as I can buy the real thing there is no way in hell I am getting a pdf version of any book, classic or otherwise!
I am aiming to be the last person in Britain to own a kindle and remain to be convinced of the joys of reading a digital book. I want and need the real thing!
Back still a bit fragile as I assumed that I could sit on the chairs of my dining room table for half an hour or so to google some hotels in Cambridge. Guess not eh.... seems there is one muscle that tenses up whenever I sit on that chair for more than 10 minutes. So I have now banished myself to the sofa again to type his. When will I learn?!
I have in the meantime finished a Stephen King one and started on RF Scott's Journals so progress of sorts has been made.
Book tally has me confused.... Let me see if I can un-confuse myself.
Previous total to be read: 101
So.. since then I read the Gothic Novels so that makes an even 100. Then I finished Stephen King one so that leaves 99... and then I went and messed it all up and bought 2 so I am back up to 101.
Still left to review: 3
Thursday 1 November 2012
It is a long road that leads away from Square One
After having achieved some real progress with my back I went back to square one and a half last weekend.... hence my lack of posting. I seems that sitting in a chair without a decent back support is not the best thing in the world for my back. So, lesson learnt I am now camped out on the sofa.
I finished another book earlier in the week and still have on to review from a few weeks ago. I am also now working my way through another one so I am going to have to pull my socks up and get reviewing. I have provisionally planned to do the reviews over the weekend as the weather is not looking to good and I will need something to distract me from doing to do something sensible like hoovering the house or cleaning the bathroom. So.. get ready for Jasper Fforde and some Gothic weirdness.
I finished another book earlier in the week and still have on to review from a few weeks ago. I am also now working my way through another one so I am going to have to pull my socks up and get reviewing. I have provisionally planned to do the reviews over the weekend as the weather is not looking to good and I will need something to distract me from doing to do something sensible like hoovering the house or cleaning the bathroom. So.. get ready for Jasper Fforde and some Gothic weirdness.
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